His doctors warned he would get depressed (:51)
After his heart attack, Mike wondered whether he wanted to be alive. Could he still be "a man"?
Click the thumbnails below to watch more real stories.
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Emotional State Affects Heart
Situation—and hormones—can trigger the blues
( :46 )
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Heart Disease Blues
"I could only do a few things"
( :41 )
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Post Heart Surgery
Recovery was hard, empty
( :51 )
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Overwhelmed and Afraid
"I felt like a whiner"
( 1:00 )
Share Your Thoughts
Has illness ever made you feel depressed?
Mike is only half-joking when he says he had to decide between television and suicide after his heart attack. Depression affects the heart in many ways, both before and after heart disease. It can disrupt the heart’s rhythm, encourage inflammation and blood clots, and bathe the body in stress hormones that can raise blood pressure and harden arteries.
People with blocked coronary arteries have reduced blood flow to the heart, but they can also have blockage in the arteries in their brain making them vulnerable to strokes.
Emotional State Affects HeartSituation—and hormones—can trigger the blues
Heart Disease Blues"I could only do a few things"
Post Heart SurgeryRecovery was hard, empty
Overwhelmed and Afraid"I felt like a whiner"
